LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday visited Prayagraj and Varanasi districts which have been the second and third highest contributors to Covid-19 cases in the state over the past few days. The CM also asked officials to ensure proper arrangements for holding ‘Teeka Utsav’ between April 11 and 14, a dedicated vaccination programme which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. On an average 6 lakh people would be vaccinated per day during the festival.

In a video message, the CM called upon the people of the state to take part in the vaccination drive `which will start on the birth anniversary of Jyotiba Phule on April 11 and continue till April 14, the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar`. Vaccination activity to be organised in 8k sessions’ Later, additional chief secretary health and family welfare Amit Mohan Prasad said that the vaccination activity will be organised in about 8,000 session sites across the state. “We will begin with 6,000 sessions on the first day then gradually increase it to 8000 sessions,” he said adding that the details would be shared on Saturday.

It may be noted that on an average, 5000 sessions are being held in UP every day. An estimated 100 persons per session are to be vaccinated each day. This translates into a hefty target of vaccinating about six lakh persons per day during the utsav. Talking about the achievement made on the vaccination front, Prasad said, “So far 81.65 lakh doses of covid-vaccine have been given in the state. Of these, 11.97 lakh have taken both the doses of the vaccine.” Health officials also said that to improve the vaccination exercise, the state government will be holding a training session of the staff on Saturday. As a result of this, covid-19 vaccine shots will be given only at medical colleges and district hospitals on Saturday.

Earlier, reviewing the condition of hospitals and health facilities, the CM directed the administrative officials to increase testing and vaccinations. He said a dedicated Covid hospital should be set up in all districts. Meanwhile, medical education minister Suresh Khanna left for Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut and Saharanpur to assess Covid situation there. Health minister Jai Singh is visiting Kanpur, Agra, Jhansi and Bareilly. In Varanasi, the CM said that any lab which was found to be giving fake test reports would be sealed and blacklisted. “There are more than 1,000 L-2 and L-3 beds available in the district but other than patients from Varanasi and neighbouring districts, people from Bihar also visit Varanasi for treatment. Everyone should be given treatment. A lot of people are returning home from several states and rapid antigen testing should be restarted at all railway and bus stations. Crowds should not be allowed in rural areas during panchayat elections,” he said.

The CM also issued directives to increase the number of ambulances in Varanasi from current 18 to 25. He took stock of BHU’s health facilities and said that senior doctors should take regular rounds of wards. Divisional commissioner Deepak Agarwal said between March and April 8, 2021, 1,51,126 samples had been tested and 4,911 people were found positive. The administration has carried out contact tracing of 27,130 people and the positivity rate in the district is 3.4%. At least 1,031 people have recovered.

Till Friday evening, 203 patients were in hospital while 3,677 were under home isolation. There are 1,058 Covid beds in government and private hospitals and L-1, L-2 facilities. The district has also administered 1,87,715 vaccine doses till now. During his visit to Prayagraj, the CM directed the DM, CMO and the principal of the medical college to hold meetings twice every day to assess situation and take suitable decisions.

He also reviewed Covid-19 facilities at Swarooprani Hospital and integrated command and control centre. In both the districts, the CM stressed on the need to have virtual ICUs, telemedicine services and online consultations and booking of appointments. He said testing and contact-tracing should be strengthened to break the chain of infection. He emphasised on the need to maintain containment zones and strictly follow all protocols. Asking officials to set up nigrani samities in each ward and gram panchayat, the CM said homeguards, PRD and NCC should be roped in for better enforcement. “People not wearing masks should be fined but they should also simultaneously be encouraged to wear masks. Public address system should be used at all crossings to create awareness,” he added.

“At least 60% of all tests should be done through RTPCR. All districts should have L-2 and L-3 level hospitals. Their capacity should also be expanded. Ensure sufficient availability of oxygen in hospitals. Separate facilities should be ensured for Covid and non-Covid wards in hospitals. CCTV cameras should be kept functional in all hospitals,” he said.

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